genus of extinct brachiopods (lamp shells) found as fossils in Late Carboniferous to Permian marine rocks (the period of time from the Late Carboniferous to the end of the Permian was about 251 million to 318 million years ago); many species are known. The shell or valves of Neospirifer are robustly developed and frequently well preserved as fossils. A prominent furrow, or sulcus, and a distinctive ridge, or fold, are generally developed in the shell, aiding rapid identification. Neospirifer is a useful index fossil for stratigraphic correlations.